This Week in Mets Quotes: Andres Gimenez feels close to the majors, Dom Smith is excited for Winter Ball

Andres Gimenez is one of the few bright spots of a lost season.

“I feel like my dream is so close. I know I’ve got to keep working. It’s not easy (to be patient), but we have to control what we can control.” –Andres Gimenez [The Athletic]

Dom Smith has a great attitude about playing Winter Ball.

”I just heard it’s a lot of fun. I’ve heard nothing but good things about playing in Winter Ball. Everybody who goes always tells me that they had a great time, and I’m pretty excited. I’ve never been to the D.R. I heard it’s in a nice area. I’m excited. It’s going to be a good time, for sure.” –Dom Smith [MLB]

Congratulations to Syndergaard on his first career complete game.

”I told myself at the end of August that I have a fresh clean slate at the start of September. I took that to heart. I just want to finish the season strong.” –Noah Syndergaard [MLB]

/Opens FanGraphs

Checks out.

”[Syndergaard’s] changeup is the same speed as my fastball.” –Giants Starter Chris Stratton [MLB]

If 1^st base doesn’t work out for Jay Bruce, it won’t be from a lack of confidence.

“I don’t think fielding the position is going to be an issue for me as far as straight-up ground balls. I feel I can get off the bag far enough to have range and stuff like that. But it’s going to be the nuances that are going to be the most important.” –Jay Bruce [New York Post]

Four More Years, Four More Years…well maybe one more year at the right price.

“I love it here. It’s very rare for a person with my job, lefty out of the bullpen, to find a home for this long, especially toward the end of my career, the last four years have been great. I would love to come back, but there’s too many things unpredictable that can happen between now and then.” –Jerry Blevins [New York Post]

After a 58 RC+ July, Rosario put up a 102 RC+ August and (SSS) 208 RC+ in September thus far.

”Basically, what I’m doing is putting a lot of trust in myself. I trust myself a lot more than in the beginning… I think that confidence in myself is everything.” –Amed Rosario [MLB]

During the Mets 7-3 win over the Dodgers, nine of the Mets’ 14 hits clocked in with exit velocities under 80 mph. Five of them were under 70 mph.

”We were putting the ball in play and giving ourselves a chance. If you touch the ball sometimes, you have a better outcome than if you strike out. We did a lot of that tonight.” –Mickey Callaway [MLB]

The Mets have never had a batter with a season line of .330/30 HR/110 RBI. Wright and Piazza came close.

”There’s value to [batting McNeil in the two-hole], especially with the way our lineup is right now. If you’ve got four or five guys out there just hitting homers, and you’ve got a guy that’s going out there hitting .330, and hitting 30 homers, and driving in 110, he probably needs to be in the two-hole. We don’t have that. So with who we have currently, I love the idea of being a little more traditional, and putting him in the two-hole and making things happen.” –Mickey Callaway [MLB]

Todd Frazier on his non-catch that was ruled a catch in LA.

”It is Hollywood. Sometimes, you’ve got to act out a little bit.” –Todd Frazier [MLB]

Can we keep Vargas quarantined from our other starters then?

”Pitching, just like hitting, can be contagious. The more pitchers you have out there doing really good things, the better you’re going to be, and you’re going to be able to get on a roll. I think that’s what you’re seeing right now.” –Mickey Callaway [MLB]

Dated Movie Reference aside, I was shocked that Joel Sherman take landed on the right here.

“2. Be open-minded. I do believe Fred Wilpon thinks that under Alderson the Mets became too analytical. It reminds me of the “Crocodile Dundee” scene in which the title character and his girlfriend have a switchblade pulled on them, and the girlfriend advises the relinquishing of wallets because the thieves “have a knife.” To which, Dundee says, “That’s not a knife,” pulls out a gigantic blade and adds, “That’s a knife.”

The Mets’ three-man analytics department is a switchblade. If Fred thinks that is an analytics department, he should see the machete-sized groups many of his competitors are operating. Again, this could be about cost-containment or just Fred’s hopes of baseball returning to a quainter time of bunts and sizing up players by looking in their eyes.

But he should know the research and development being done by the Astros, Cubs, Dodgers, Yankees and many others into areas as diverse as launch angle to sleep to brain activity to eyesight to projecting out teenage talent from Latin America comes from large staffs. Either you keep up and innovate from your own shop or you die.” –Joel Sherman [New York Post]

Mets Tweet of the Week

AA Qoute of the Week

“It is September. There are 40 active roster spots right now. He is not under any obligation to actually handle a day-to-day MLB schedule. He can play once a week, for all it matters. He doesn’t even have to warm up everyday. The Mets have like 10 open roster spots right now; this really isn’t an issue.” -David Capobianco

“Purpose being?” -Re Tired

“David Wright playing baseball. That’s the purpose.” -David Capobianco

SiteBot FacePalm of the Week

“OK, I’ll just give my hot take: I don’t care about David anymore.

He is not part of the future. I have no desire to see a Wright version of Reyes Act II.

David, you’re a great guy and I hope you thrive within the organization for as long as you care to look at the Ponzis’ slack-jawed faces.

No fucking retire already.

This is life after stickball, man. Spend time with your kids; learn to paint. Go to the operas you can afford and I can’t. Travel to Europe and take me with you.

Live!

Leave this tawdry, boring, childish bullshit behind.” -Kepler